Page 29 of Love Medley (Med Wreck Romance #1)

Chapter twenty-two

Jake

A s I’m standing on the tennis court getting my ass handed to me on this lovely Sunday morning, I can’t stop grinning. I’m on the top of the world. Lucy Chang kissed me last night, and she asked me out on a real fucking date.

Google love advice for the win.

But I’d better try to focus because Luke made an idiotic bet with Ian Thompson, tennis player extraordinaire, and now, the two of us are standing like losers on one side of the net, while Ian is on the other, pounding us to dust.

Ian is primarily Luke’s friend, but I first met him in high school.

Because Ian was constantly traveling for tennis tournaments and we hung out in different social circles, I rarely saw him.

Currently, he’s back in Blackwell taking a break from playing in grand slams across the globe.

He’s ranked 23rd in the world, and his star is continuing to rise.

Touted as the next Andy Roddick in looks, he was on last year’s list of Crowd Magazine ’s Sexiest Men Alive.

Believe me, I didn’t Google him to find out.

Luke has been giving him shit since we met up, so I’d have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to know by now.

“Can you remind me why I signed up for this torture?” I ask, sweat pouring off of my face.

“There are two of us! That was supposed to make it more even,” Luke protests, looking as fucked up as I am. “You seem totally distracted, by the way—I think that’s why we’re losing.”

I shake my head. “Only you would think a two-on-one with Ian could ever be even,” I grunt, as I miss yet another volley. I also sidestep his very obvious dig. Tennis is not the only thing that requires footwork.

I’m guessing Luke’s nudging me about the big kiss that happened last night between Lucy and me, but I want to keep that golden moment to myself for a bit longer.

Plus, I know he’s dying to get the scoop, but guy-etiquette means that he can’t actually act like he wants to know.

So I’m choosing not to tell him just yet.

It’s not often I’m on this side of things.

The man could use a little delayed gratification in his life—women flock to him like butterflies to bright flowers .

“Let me know if you guys need a break!” Ian grins from the other side. I don’t think the bastard has even broken a sweat.

“I’m taking him up on that,” I gasp as I stagger to the bench and take a long sip of ice water.

“I have a lot riding on this!” Luke grouses, but he follows me anyway.

I scowl at him. “Like what?”

Ian jogs up to us. “Like $100 and bragging rights? But I won’t take your money. It’s enough to see you squirm,” he laughs, his hazel eyes dancing.

“Fuck you,” Luke fumes but gives into his exhaustion and lies back on the green concrete. “I guess I need more exercise.”

“When do you head off again?” I ask.

“US Tournament of Champions next month,” Ian says, after he chugs some water. “It’s the first one I’ve done in a while—I’ve been taking time off to improve my serve.”

“That’s intense,” I say. Luke hasn’t moved from his spot on the ground.

“Yeah,” Ian agrees. “Sometimes it gets tiring, but then I get on another court, and it feels like home. Like I’m meant to be there.”

I understand that concept intimately.

“Well, we’ll be cheering for you, man,” I say out loud.

“Not me,” Luke groans. “I’ll be hoping you fall flat on your face.”

Ian chuckles. “Luke’s always been a sore loser.”

“That’s for sure,” I say.

“Leave me alone in my misery, assholes,” Luke gripes .

“Why don’t you get off your ass so we can go grab some burgers?” I ask.

“Only if there’s booze involved,” Luke says. “Otherwise, I’ll stay here, thanks.”

Ian and I share a look and roll our eyes as if we planned it. Ian’s a cool guy. I wouldn’t mind hanging out with him again.

“I saw that, fuckers,” Luke growls. “Stop ganging up on me. Give me a sec.”

Twenty minutes later, we roll into the parking lot of Bill’s.

“I haven’t seen Bill in ages,” Ian says. “I feel terrible that I haven’t stopped by before now. Sophia and I practically lived here when we were younger. His burgers are basically the flavor of my childhood; I can already taste the grilled onions.”

I guess I’m not the only one that thinks of this as a safe space.

“How is Sophia?” I ask. Until Ian mentioned her name, I completely forgot he had a younger sister who lived in town.

“She’s great! She’s kicking ass as a reporter for the Blackwell Times .”

“Just buy me a beer,” Luke says as he crawls out of my car. Ian and I glance at each other, smirking.

Swinging open the glass door, I’m blasted once again by delicious smells that fill me with nostalgia.

Because of Lucy, I’ve already had Bill’s twice in the past week. Just that reminder of her sends a surge of happiness through me.

Bill greets us as the three of us enter. Unsurprisingly, his eyes go straight to Ian. “Luke, Jake, welcome back! And Ian, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”

“Yeah, man, so glad to see you!” Ian says. Bill comes out from behind the counter and gives Ian a bear hug.

“I still have your autographed picture on the wall,” Bill says. “We’re so proud of you, son.”

“Thanks, Bill. That means a lot.” Ian blushes.

“I plan to have some burger specials on the nights that you play,” Bill continues. “All the TVs in the place will be playing your matches.”

As Ian’s cheeks redden further, Luke perks up from his malaise to watch Ian squirm.

“Thanks,” Ian mumbles again. After they exchange a few more pleasantries and Ian promises to tell Sophia and his mom to stop by, Ian joins us in a booth.

Luke arches an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize that Bill was such a fanboy.”

“Shut up, Luke,” Ian grumbles. “He’s just being nice.”

“Suuuuure,” Luke says. “I’ll definitely make sure to order the Ian Thompson special next month.”

“Fuck you. Just order already,” Ian says, rubbing his brow. I’m amused to find that he might be sweating more right now than he did the entire time we were playing tennis .

We order three burgers all the way, fries, onion rings, and cheese curds to share, and three Bud Lights that Bill immediately hands our way.

Ian pops open his can. “Luke, you still making all the ladies cry because they can’t pin you down?” He’s clearly trying to recover from Luke’s ribbing. I’m glad I’m no longer the only recipient.

Luke adjusts his backwards green Blackwell cap. “I’m still single, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I can’t keep track of all his conquests,” I admit with a grin.

“Hey, I make it clear to everyone involved that I’m not a relationship guy,” Luke says. “I’m honestly too busy for it.”

“How’s business school?” Ian asks.

“It’s fine,” Luke says. “Just a ton of reading that puts me to sleep.”

“How much longer do you have?” I ask.

“Almost done,” Luke says. “I’m looking forward to that. Maybe one day I can use the degree towards running TNT.”

“Wow,” I say, leaning forward, an unexpected bead of panic running through me. “Is Leroy planning on retiring some time soon?”

“One day. I need to figure out this bar managing gig first.”

I nod, relieved that the bar will be staying in the family.

One less thing to worry about. I know it's selfish, but I can’t imagine this place being made into…

well, anything other than TNT. Even if I left someday, I’d want the option to come back.

Just knowing it’s here—that it exists—matters to me.

“Has Sebastian recovered yet from his skateboarding in jury?”

Luke groans. “That fucker. He owes me. I feel like I’m still bartending the same amount as I did before I became bar manager. So basically, I’m just working twice as much.”

“Who’s Sebastian?” Ian asks.

“One of the other bartenders at TNT. But one that likes showing off too much, apparently. Have you ever been to Tunes and Tonic?” I don’t remember ever seeing Ian there.

“That's where I met this asshole during college,” Ian gestures at Luke. “But it’s been a really long time. I’m usually out of town for tennis.”

Huh. I forgot that Ian went to Blackwell University with us too—he was on the college tennis team. We’ve been orbiting around the same locations our entire lives and only now are intersecting.

“You should come,” Luke says. “I’ll make you a drink, and you can listen to Jake here serenade all the ladies.” He waggles his eyebrows up and down at me. “Or maybe one particular lady.”

Welp. I couldn’t evade this forever. I know Luke’s been biding his time.

Ian turns to me. “You’re dating someone?”

“Fake dating,” Luke says with a smug grin, tilting his beer towards me in the imitation of a toast. “But that kiss from last night looked pretty real to me.”

I roll my eyes. “Here we go.”

Ian glances from me to Luke and then back again. “Okay, there’s a story here, and I absolutely need to hear it. ”

Sighing, I recount the story of how Lucy and I met in the ER, how the fake dating scheme evolved with Lucy mistakenly believing I wanted to reunite with Sam, and then how last night at TNT culminated in a kiss.

“But I called her this morning,” I finish. “And we’re going out to sushi on Tuesday.”

Ian’s brow furrows. “Is this still part of the fake dating or did I miss something? And what about the Sam thing?”

Luke smirks, and I glare at him.

“I told her I wasn’t into Sam,” I say, hating every bit of this conversation.

“Why didn’t you just tell her from the beginning that you were interested in her?” Ian is still confused. “Why even let her think you were interested in someone else?”

Ian isn’t wrong, but I bet that being a tennis star makes it a little easier to woo the ladies. I can’t imagine him lacking the confidence to go after anyone.

“God, at the time, it made sense. She was just so desperate to get rid of Weston, and she felt so guilty that I wasn’t getting anything out of our fake dating scheme. I guess I just didn’t want to give her a reason to change her mind about spending time with me.”

Luke shakes his head. “Damn, man. I never thought I’d see you so whipped.”